Not Too Late
by DiscordantPrincess
Summary: Mufasa discovers an unconscious Ratigan by the water hole and decides to help him. A birthday gift for FairyTales And Pixie Dust. One-shot.


**Greetings, fellow FanFiction folks! I hope you're doing well! **

**OK, story time: this fanfic was actually an idea that FairyTales And Pixie Dust suggested to me. Seeing as her birthday is coming up on the 28th of this month, I thought I'd post it for her as an early present seeing as I'm going to be offline for winter break to spend time with my family...happy birthday, Tales honey! I hope you like it!**

"...and the giraffes were stretching themselves out to help the gazelles get the acacia leaves they wanted."

It was a normal day in the pridelands. Mufasa, the king of the lions, was taking his daily walk around his kingdom as Zazu the hornbill, his majordomo, was firing off the morning report. Normally Mufasa's mate Sarabi would be joining him, but she was heavy with cub and had decided to rest instead.

"...but of course the warthogs weren't going to listen to the five-grub limit, you know how they like to make pigs of themselves, eh, sire?" Zazu chuckled, then noticed that the king looked rather preoccupied. "Sire?" The hornbill perched himself on top of the lion's head. "Are you all right? Usually my warthog jokes make you laugh your fur off."

"I'm fine, Zazu," Mufasa reassured the hornbill. "I...I suppose I'm just a bit worried about Scar." Scar, originally Prince Taka, was Mufasa's younger brother. Normally a very moody fellow, recently the dark-coated lion had become even more secluded than usual. Mufasa knew that Scar had always envied him, being the oldest he had always been in line to inherit the throne from their father, but never had he been so bitter towards him, even showing a few hostile moments. It scared the king to no end.

"I wouldn't worry TOO much about him, sire," Zazu responded. "He's too much of a weakling to fight you, and I don't think he's smart enough to try to stage a coup. It's just a phase, he'll get over it sooner or later."

Mufasa smiled. "I suppose you're right. Now, why don't you retell that warthog joke, and I'll try to pay attention this time."

Just then, a gopher popped up from underground. "Your Highness, there has been news from the water hole of a mysterious discovery. I think you should go check it out."

Mufasa nodded. "Thank you, my friend." He ran over to the water hole, with Zazu quickly flying behind him. The lion reached the hole and saw what the discovery was.

There, lying on the banks of the water hole, was a rat. Mufasa observed the creature. It was a bit bigger than Zazu, with gray fur and black hair. Its eyes were shut. It was wearing, along with its fur, the shredded remains of fine clothing, something usually only worn by humans.

Zazu snorted with amusement. "THAT'S what the fuss is about? A drowned rat? Rats drown in the water hole all the time! Not the brightest of animals."

Mufasa gently put a paw on the rat's chest and hummed as he felt a heartbeat. "He's still alive." He gently picked the rat up in his mouth.

"Sire, what are you doing?" Zazu asked. "You're not actually going to BRING that filthy creature back to your den, are you? Rats are nasty, disease-ridden vermin! What if it bites Queen Sarabi and gets her and the cub sick?"

"Rats are a part of the Circle of Life, Zazu, every bit as much as you or I are," Mufasa told the hornbill. "And no, I'm not bringing him into the den, but I AM bringing him to Rafiki. He'll be able to help him better than I can."

And so Mufasa took the rat to Rafiki, a wise old mandrill who acted as shaman for the pridelands. Rafiki looked over the rat, who remained unconscious the entire time the mandrill was observing him. "Well, Mufasa, I can guarantee that this rat will indeed survive. He is strong." The mandrill became serious. "But I must warn you, after looking into his soul, I have seen that his heart seems to be filled with anger and hatred. It may not be wise to have much to do with him."

"I knew going anywhere NEAR that rat would be no good!" Zazu interjected. "Sire, you must get rid of it, else it'll attack you!"

"No, Zazu, as king I must make sure ALL of my subjects stay well," Mufasa argued. "Perhaps it is not too late for this rat to change his heart. Thank you, Rafiki, I'll take him now."

* * *

Ratigan woke up groaning. He had never been in so much pain in his entire life. He blinked and got to his feet. Then, he looked around. The last thing he remembered was drowning in the Thames River, and now he was in some sort of African savannah. "What the...where AM I?"

"Ah, good, you're awake." Ratigan turned and nearly had a heart attack to see a lion standing there. "Oh, God, please, if you're going to eat me, make it quick! I'm already in enough pain as it is, I don't need anymore!"

The lion laughed. "I'm not going to eat you, my friend."

Ratigan eyed the lion oddly. "You're NOT?"

"No, what with how small you are, you'd hardly make an appetizer for me. I am Mufasa, king of the pridelands. What's YOUR name, friend?"

"Ratigan. Padraic Ratigan. And I'm NOT your friend. I HAVE no friends." Ratigan crossed his arms over his chest.

"You have no friends?" Mufasa asked. "That's a very sad circumstance, Ratigan-Padraic-Ratigan."

"Yes, well, welcome to my life. Population: humiliation and prejudice."

Mufasa frowned at the rat. "It sounds like you've had a very unfortunate life, Ratigan-Padraic-Ratigan."

"Oh God, would you PLEASE stop calling me that?" Ratigan snarled. "That is NOT my name. If you MUST call me ANYTHING, just call me Ratigan."

Mufasa nodded and smiled. "Very well. It's very nice to meet you, Ratigan."

The lion then turned away and dragged a hunk of meat over to where the rat was. He dropped it in front of him. "What's this?" Ratigan asked.

"Antelope. Sarafina, one of my pride's finest huntresses, caught it this morning. I thought you might want something to eat."

"Well, no thank you, I'm not hungry," Ratigan refused. Moments after those words escaped his mouth, his stomach began to growl very loudly, informing him that it had been days since his last meal. Mufasa smirked as he heard the rat's roaring belly. "Of course you're not."

Ratigan sighed as he looked at the antelope meat and grimaced. He was not used to eating raw meat. _Oh well_, he thought to myself, _if it'll shut my stomach up... _He bit into the meat, chewed it and swallowed. He blinked, then smiled. "Hmm, not bad. Could use a little thyme."

Mufasa looked at the rat oddly. "But time would only make the meat go bad."

"No, no, not THAT kind of time. Thyme is...oh, never mind." Ratigan continued to eat. Once he'd had his fill (which was quite a bit, seeing as he had been starving), he looked back up at Mufasa. "Why are you being so nice to me? No one has ever been this nice to me in my entire life."

"Because you and I, my friend, are part of the Circle of Life," Mufasa explained. "As king, I must strive to make sure all beings in the Circle of Life are happy and cared for. And besides, my shaman Rafiki told me that you had hatred in your heart."

Ratigan chuckled. "Well, he's not wrong. I'm sorry, my good feline, but if this is a reforming case, then I'd advise that you not waste your time. It's too late for me. I've done too many horrid things in my time."

"It's never too late to help anyone change his heart," Mufasa replied. "I still hope to turn my brother Scar around someday. He's very similar to you; bitter, angry, unhappy. Maybe that's why I want to save you; you remind me so much of him, and if I can help you, then perhaps I can help my little brother."

Ratigan looked up at the lion king. "That...that is the most touching thing I've ever heard," he spoke. Normally, he'd have said that line with an air of sarcasm or disgust, but this time he was one hundred percent sincere.

"Thank you." Mufasa smiled down at the rat. "So what do you say, Ratigan? Will you accept my offer of friendship?" He held out a paw.

Ratigan smiled and wrapped his hand around one of Mufasa's toes, shaking it. "It would be my privelege, Mufasa, my king."

**And so begins another awesome Disney crossover friendship.**

**I know it'd probably be impossible for Ratigan to go from the Thames River in London to a water hole in Kenya (The Lion King takes place in Kenya, right?)...but that's the magic of Disney movies! **

**The bit with Ratigan talking about putting thyme on the antelope was yet another one of my actor allusions to Vincent Price...according to what I've read and seen about him, he was very fond of fine cooking and dining. I wouldn't put it past Mr. Price to find a tasty recipe for antelope. **

**Hope you all enjoyed this little story, especially FairyTales And Pixie Dust. Again, happy birthday, my dear!**

**All my best DiscordantPrincess.**


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